Supporting structural wallboard unit



1944- B. J. BARTHOLOMEW 2,361,733

SUPPORTING STRUCTURAL WALLBOARD UNIT Filed April 26, 1943 2 sheets-sheet1 a V2102 Z I BY MM ATTORNEY-5 1944- B. J. BARTHOLOMEW 2,361,733

SUPPORTING STRUCTURAL WALLBOARD UNIT Filed April 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet2 HIM, NW

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ATTORNEYS Patented :25 31, 1944 SUPPORTING. STRUCTURAL WALLBOARD ByronJ. Bartholomew, Burton, Ohio Application April 26, 1943, Serial No.484,619

2 Claims. (Cl. 154-45-9) This invention relates to the building arts andparticularly involves a novel mode of employment of so-called wallboardsuniversally used today in such arts.

As is well known, the customary manner of employment of wallboards is toapply the same to a supporting structure of a building such as partitionstudding, ceiling beams or rafters, or the like, to form wall or ceilingsurfaces carried by the structural supporting members of the buildingstructure itself.

The primary object of my invention is to avail of wallboard or wallboardsections or members in a novel manner by assembling ordinarycommercially manufactured wallboard members in such a manner as tocreate a supporting structural wallboard unit made entirely fromwallboard, preferably, without the necessity of in any way changing themethod of manufacture of such board. In furtherance of the foregoingobjective, my invention comprises a supporting wallboard unit having anair insulation space and having self-contained structural supportingcharacteristics such that the units made according to the invention maybe set up and form a supporting wall, as distinguished from the ordinarymethod of use of wallboard by which it is required to be applied tostructural supports in a, building construction, which supportsordinarily carry the load. In other words. my supporting structural unitmade from wallboard members constitutes in itself a structural supportso as to eliminate the necessity of employing the wallboard after thecommon practice, namely. by applying the latter to supporting studding,beams, or the like. Since my proposed novel supporting structural unitis possessed of its own inherent supporting characteristics, the unitsof my invention may be ,assembled into a wall structure, for instance,and will have load carrying capacity so as to eliminate the employmentof separate structural supports such as commonly used today.

Supporting structural units assembled according to my invention aresuch, therefore, as mayconstitute the outer walls or partition walls ofhouses, a one instance of their utility, that may be set up upon a flooror base without previous disposition upon the latter of studding orsimilar load carrying supports.

A primary objective of the invention, as intimated before, lies in theutilization of common commercial wallboard members without necessitatingany change in the mode of manufacture of the same, assembling spacedmembers of relatively large area with spacer members therebetween toprovide for the air space and insulation characteristics obtainedthereby. The large area wallboard members form the sides united togetherordinarily by relatively narrow spacer members made out of the wallboardsections cut to proper dimension, the whole assembled to provide asupporting unit with the desired structural supporting characteristics.

So far as I am aware, it has never been proposed prior to my inventionto utilize wallboard members assembled in such a manner as to constitutesupporting structural units of the type to which I refer, and Itherefore claim the foregoing as an essential broad feature of myinvention.

By reason of the employment of the wallboard sections in the manner setforth, I am enabled to obtain a very flexible construction ofmanufactured unit in that the load carrying capacity of the structuralsupporting units may be increased or decreased by the simple adding orsubtracting, respectively, of the main layers or sections of wallboardthat form the main supporting structural elements of the unit incombination with spacer members between said main wallboard sectionsthat are designed to connect the latter together in the unit structureas well as to space them in such manner as to provide the air insulatingspace between the sides of the unit.

While my invention may take many different forms in the composition ofthe supporting structural unit described, I illustrate in theaccompanying drawings, and set forth in the detail description foundhereinafter, certain preferred forms of the invention, to which,however, I do not wish to be limited in the practical carrying out ofthe invention because of the many possible modifications available inadopting the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wallboard supporting structural unitembodying the invention in one form.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through a unit of a modifiedform, showing the manner of providing interlocking tongue and groovefeatures by mere peculiar disposition or arrangement of certain of thespacing parts.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the unit of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a supporting structural unit embodyingthe invention, in which a window is mounted in the unit itself.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 6--6 of Figure 5,bringing out more clearly the construction of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a front elevation of a double window arrangementincorporated in two of the supporting units of the invention, each unitcut away from one edge to receive one-half of the double window frame orunit.

Figure 8 is a detail fragmentary sectional view showing a. modificationof the form of interlocking tongue and groove structure that may beemployed in unit of the invention.

First referring to the invention as shown in- Figures 1 and 2 primarily,it will be observed that my supporting unit is made up of sides I and 2spaced apart and each utilizing wallboard the depth dimensions of thewindow, in an obvious manner, so that the window will be properlyemplaced in the unit when the latter is finally completed as amanufactured complete unit.

In Figure '7, I have illustrated two supporting units 1 and 8 which areconstructed of spaced side members, as previously described, one or bothof which may be composed of laminated wallboards. These units are cutout at their adjacent vertical joined edges to provide the window space,and inset in the cut out portions is the double window frame 9. In thisconstruction the frame 9 would be emplaced in and upon the units 1 and 8when the latter are set up as distinguished fromthe construction ofFigures 5 and 6, whereinthe structuralsupporting unit of the inventionmay be actually built and asmembers of known types. These wallboardmen'i' bers are manufactured in single or double layers, usually, andwhen double layers or laminated structure is employed, the wallboardmembers are usually adhesively connected in compact secured arrangementface to face, so to speak. As illustrated, the side I of the unit ofFigures 1 and 2 is made up of three layers, or is composed of alaminated structure, whilst the side 2 in this instance is made up of asingle wallboard section or member. The sides I and 2 are spaced apartby spacing members 3 which extend preferably vertically of the unit, andwhich, as illustrated, are of laminated form in this instance, though asingle layer member to provide a spacing means may be availed of shouldit be desired. However, when the laminated spacers 3 are used, greaterspacing is obtainable and such would usually be desirable in view of theobjective of achieving the provis on of a tanible amount of airinsulating space 4 between the sides I and 2 of the unit.

Now in respect to the entire unit illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, it isnotable that I preferably employ wallboard exclusively, in the manufactue of the. unit. and that all arts of the unit are assembled togetherpreliminary to shipment or use from the place of manufacture. andconstitute a supporting structural unit capable of carrying loads whensuch units are assembled v r ic l v e e to ed e and ho zontal y edge oed e in a wall construction. for instance. In other words. here will beno necessity. when usin un ts of the invention, for setting up studdinor any vertical supportin structure wha soever in addition to mywallboard unit havrw it self-conta ned supportin characteristics.

In Figures 3-and 4 the construction described n reference to Figures 1and 2 is modified in a simple aspect by disposing certain ones of thespacin members designated 3a in such a manher as to form tongueextensions and groove recesses which will match one another whenadia-cent sections are set up. and providea common form of interlockwell known in buildin structures. an interlock s milar. practicallyspeakin to the tongue and groove interlock of fionrboarding.

Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings typify the adaptation of my invent on inregard to the bu ldin o a sup ortin structural unit 5 cut out centrallyin such a manner that a window frame 6 o desired size may be mountedtherein. Under such conditions, the number of layers of wallboardsections or members to constitute the sides of the unit may be variedaccording to sembled at the factory as a complete unit ready to be setup in place.

Figure 8 is simply illustrative of a modified form of tongue and grooveconnection susceptible of being used, and in this figure it is notablethat the tongue member ID is composed of laminated wallboard parts ormembers and the groove or recess member II is similarly composed of aplurality of layers of wallboard members. Also, in the modification ofFigure 8, it will be noted that the spaced sides 12 and I3 are made of adouble layer of wallboard, and the customary method of providing thetongues at one edge and recesses at the other edge of each structuralunit will be pursued in reference to the vertical edges of the unit, andlikewise with respect to the horizontal edges of the unit.

It is within the purview of the invention to employ any suitable type ofdowel means between the units for purposes of joining the same atadjacent edges and reinforcing the edge connections at the joints.

It is to be understood, as before indicated, that the side members I and2 may both comprise laminae of wallboard members. Likewise. it isapparent that since the wallboard structural supporting unit of theinvention is made entirely of wallboard, it can be manufactured at thewallboard factory as a complete unit comprised entirely of wallboardmembers or elements cut to proper sha e and size and assembled tocomprise the final unit ready for shipment.

Among the rigid types of wallboard that may be employed for theinvention are the gypsum Sheet Rock wallboard. "Gold Bond wallboard alsomade of gypsum, also the common Cellotex wallboard members. and otherclasses of manufactured products of this type which will satisfactorilysup ly the rigid characteristics of my structural unit when thewallboard members are assembled and connected together as a singlesubstantially integral manufactured product.

By reason of the provision of the air space between the outer and innersides of the unit. such units are especially adaptable for use in houseconstruction because they may form the outer walls as well as the innerwalls or partitions, and. being structurally rigid and strong, providefor the load carrying capacltv, which, when varyin may be accommodatedfor by adding to 'or reducing the number of wallboard members orsections incorporated in the unit as a single layer or combined layersor laminae, as may be desired.

The layers of wallboard material used for both the sides and spacingmembers when plural in number are adhesively connected in accord withthe regular practice oi manui'acturing laminated wallboards as madetoday.

As will be seen upon reference to Figure 7, it is contemplated that thestructural units of the invention may be provided at the upper and lowerends, as well as at the side edges, with the spacing members I4 and II,respectively, thereby to close the units completely at such places. Thespacing members thus emplaced in the unit of Figure 1, at the top andbottom of said unit, would at the top, carry along with the side membersI and 2, the plate which directly supports the load on the unit. as wellknown in certain types oi. building construction. Under the aboveconditions the spacing members such as referred to may be composed ofone or more layers of wallboard material between the sides i and 2 atthe upper and lower ends, and would also close the spaces at the top andbottom of the structural unit and advantageously rigidity the same.

Where doors are to be provided on or in the structural units, they willbe disposed in a manner similar to the emplacement oi the windows seenin Figures 5 and 7, the doors extending to the floor or arranged at anydesired elevation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. As' a new articleof manufacture, a prefabricated wall unit capable of sustainingstructural load stresses without distortion, said unit being composed ofspaced side members, and spacer members arranged between the sidemembars in load-sustaining position. said spacer members havingrelatively broad adhesive surfaces contacting with the side members, allof said side and spacer members consisting of dense, rigid, compressedwall board having substantially the same coefficient of expansion andhigh tensile strength, and bonded together under compression to form aunit preparatory to disposition of the unit in load-sustaining position.

2. As a new article of manufacture for house and the like buildingconstruction, a preiabrh cated unit made wholly oi wall board andcapable of sustaining structural load stresses without distortion, thesame being composed of spaced hard wall board side members, and hardwall board spacer members oi the same material as the side membersdisposed face-to-face and at intervals between the side members toprovide a hollow unit or air insulation character, the side and spacermembers being all bonded together under compression sumcient tointegrate the structure into an independent, non-distortable unit,preparatory to disposition in load-sustaining position.

BYRON J. BARTHOLOMEW.

